


Crossroads

by Rawrness



Series: The Choices We Make [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Love, M/M, Omega Verse, Philosophy, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 05:42:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16152776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawrness/pseuds/Rawrness
Summary: USUK Omegaverse. Arthur is in heat and he is tired of spending it alone. He decides to invite Alfred over for tea which leads to a very heated conversation...





	Crossroads

**Author's Note:**

  * For [01blackcat02](https://archiveofourown.org/users/01blackcat02/gifts).



It was a cold Saturday morning. The sky was a soft gray and the winter air was the coldest its been in weeks. The neighborhood Arthur lived in was small, almost claustrophobic in how all the tiny apartments were crammed next to each other. Arthur's apartment, or flat - as he would call it, was on the first level of one of the older apartment buildings on the block. 

He moved in when he was eighteen as he was just starting community college. Arthur had enough scholarships to pay for half his tuition but had to work full time to pay for the rest of his tuition, school supplies, and rent. Despite this, it only took him two years to finish his degree. 

Once he was done with community college he transferred to a four-year university. He earned better scholarships that covered his whole tuition, but it wasn't enough to cover housing so Arthur never moved. Since the classes he took were harder now and Arthur still had to work to pay for rent, he became a part-time student. It was the only way for him to maintain a high enough GPA to keep his scholarships.

His associate's degree allowed him to get a better job much closer to home. The secretarial job came with a higher salary and decent benefits. Arthur stayed at the university for three years and was just one year away from graduating when his scholarships ran out. He didn't want to be buried in debt so he stopped going to college so he could raise money to pay for his final year. 

That was two years ago. Arthur was now twenty-five and didn't even have half the amount needed to cover just one semester. Part of him knew he would go back to college to finish his degree, he just didn't know when. 

Life wasn't bad, so Arthur didn't feel any rush to go back to college. His job was in a relaxing environment and it came with health benefits. The apartment he lived in was not glamorous by any means, but at least it felt like his home. Everything about the building was wearing away, but Arthur was used to the dull red bricks on the outside and the chipped beige walls on the inside. He found a sort of rustic charm to the building, and it didn't hurt that there was a laundry room in the basement. 

The omega was at home now taking a shower. His green eyes were closed as the cold water sprayed over him. He didn't like cold showers, especially during the winter, but his heat was beginning and it was the only thing that helped alleviate his urges.

Arthur hated being in heat and he hated being stuck at home because of it. Since it wasn't safe for omegas to be outside during their heat, they weren't allowed to work until their heat was over. An omega in heat was a lawsuit waiting to happen, and no employer wanted to be liable for any harassments or assaults an omega might experience from unruly alphas. This didn't bother most omegas since all jobs were legally required to pay them while they stayed home during their heat.

It didn't bother Arthur either. What did bother him was that there was nothing productive he could do during his heat. He spent most of his time in his nest. When he first moved into the apartment he only felt safe inside his bedroom when he was in heat. He never left the room unless it was absolutely necessary. Over the years he was able to venture outside of his bedroom, away from his nest, for longer and longer periods of time. It gave him more freedom than he used to have, but he still felt trapped during his heat.

He would love to spend the week reading books, but his raging hormones didn't allow him to focus long enough to read more than one or two paragraphs. He couldn't spend time with anyone, especially if they were an alpha. Arthur didn't spend a lot of time with people anyway, but he liked having the option to. 

With a sigh, Arthur turned off the water. He grabbed the burgundy towel that hung from the shower rail and ruffled his blond hair with it until it was dry. Then he proceeded to dry the rest of his body. He got dressed in loose red pants that almost matched the color of his towel, and an oversized white cotton shirt. 

After hanging the towel on the back of the door, he walked into his bedroom and stared at his bed. It was another thing he hated about being in heat. He always had a compulsive urge to organize and reorganize his nest, which was common for omegas in heat. What wasn't as common was how Arthur felt the need to clean his entire home. 

His bedroom was very small, just big enough to fit everything he had in the room, but he enjoyed how cozy it felt during his heat. He usually wasn't very tidy, but now the carpeted floor had nothing on it except his bed and a brown dresser that was near the closet door. His laundry hamper was usually set next to the dresser, but he hid it away inside his crammed closet during his heat. Aside from the orange curtains over the two windows and the brown dresser, everything else in the room including the walls was white.

Despite spending the previous day arranging and rearranging the white pillows and blankets on his bed, Arthur gave into the need to move a few pillows around again. It all looked a bit of a mess, but everything was strategically placed. 

Time after time Arthur went through this ritual during his heat, going through all the effort of making the perfect nest only to have no one meaningful to share it with. Unlike most omegas, Arthur had no problem spending his heats alone and he didn't particularly care about getting into a relationship. That didn't mean he didn't want someone there to appreciate all his hard work. 

Which was why he started inviting alphas over during his heat after he left college. Arthur had sex frequently since he lost his virginity years ago, but he hadn't had sex with anyone during his heat until he was twenty-three. Most omegas lost their virginity to the alpha they were going to spend their life with, or who they thought they were going to spend their life with. Some omegas waited for marriage before they had sex. At the very least, most omegas didn't have sex during their heat unless they thought their alpha was "the one". 

The Brit didn't believe in waiting for the "right" alpha to have sex with, but he could now understand why most omegas felt that way about having sex during their heat. The first time Arthur had sex during his heat he thought he was in love with the alpha even though the guy was a total stranger. It was such a sudden and strong feeling that he thought they must have been soulmates.

Once his heat was over, Arthur no longer felt like he was in love with the guy. He didn't even want the alpha in his apartment. Despite this, Arthur wanted to give the guy a chance because he thought there might have been something special between them. When Arthur went into heat the following month, all his feelings rushed back. He again felt like he was in love with the alpha, but those feelings were gone the moment his heat ended, so Arthur stopped seeing the alpha.

After that, Arthur met a new alpha every month to spend his heat with. It wasn't hard to find willing alphas, they were everywhere. The easiest and fastest place to find one was at a bar. Each time he did this with a new alpha he felt like he was falling in love with the alpha he brought home. Then the feelings would vanish once his heat was over. Realizing that it was all because of his hormones, the omega learned to disregard those feelings.

Then Arthur completely stopped having sex around nine months ago. He wasn't sure what prompted this change in him, but being with other men felt empty and even repulsed him. Arthur especially didn't want another person's scent lingering on him when he went to work. Just the idea of having some stranger's scent all over him started making him sick, even if he wasn't in heat. 

"Sod," Arthur grumbled as he stared at his nest. There was something a little off about it. He stared at the last pillow he just moved before shifting it a few inches to the left. Now his nest was perfect. It was really too bad that there was no one to share it with. The fact that today was Valentine's Day only made him feel even worse. 

With a heavy sigh, Arthur left his nest and walked into his living room. There were three dark brown bookcases against the walls which made the room seem even smaller, but Arthur liked it. All the bookcases were filled with books, most of which Arthur already read. The majority were books he read in high school and community college. He was able to read between classes and at the job he had before he became a secretary. Although he didn't have as much time to read anymore, he still read more than most people.

There was a long black couch with an orange throw on it and two red pillows. Across the couch was a small flat screen TV that stood on top of a wooden stand, and adjacent to the couch was a dark gray armchair in the corner between a window and a bookcase. Next to the chair was a small cherry wood side table which had a thick novel lying on it. The cover of the novel had two shirtless blond men kissing passionately as they embraced each other. 

The novel was called _Subscription To Love_ , written by Arthur's favorite romance novelist. He loved the way this author wrote because love never came easily for the characters and it seldom lasted. The rare times the characters lived happily ever after together were when they worked really hard to earn it. Those stories turned out to be the more tragic ones, but this only made the endings that much more satisfying. Arthur thought it was a lot like real life.

Arthur started reading the novel about three weeks ago and was really excited to get to the ending. The romance novel was five hundred pages and he was nearly halfway through. He always read a little bit every morning before his shower and a bit more during his commute to work. This was the only time he was able to read since he was usually too exhausted after work and spent most weekends catching up on chores and sleep. Arthur never read during his lunch break since he spent that time with his friend.

He didn't read any of it this morning, of course, since he was in heat. Simply looking at the book cover made him uncomfortably aroused, which was why he turned it over and set it back down on the stand. 

The omega went to the kitchen to make himself a light breakfast. When he opened a cabinet, he saw a set of teacups that he hadn't used yet. He took one of the cups and looked it over. It was light blue with a golden floral pattern. The rim of the teacup was gold too. It was beautiful.

A blond blue-eyed alpha named Alfred had given him the set. It was actually a really nice gift. The omega wasn't used to getting gifts that he liked. Arthur didn't really have friends because he didn't particularly like people. Or maybe he didn't like people because they inevitably stopped liking him once they got to know him. Either way, most of Arthur's friends were more like acquaintances. Alfred was the only exception to this.

He met the alpha about ten months ago in an elevator at work. They didn't work at the same job, just the same building. There had been four people in the elevator when Arthur walked in. He pressed the "7" button since his job was on the seventh floor. As the doors started to close, an arm wedged through and forced it open. 

"Sorry, sorry," the tall blond man had muttered as he hopped into the elevator and pressed the "10" button. The tenth floor was on the last floor. Arthur never went there but knew an insurance company was on that floor.

Everyone else had gotten off on the second floor, which had left Arthur alone with the alpha. The taller blond's scent was intoxicating. It made Arthur want to stand close to the alpha so he could have a better smell. 

"My name's Alfred," the alpha had said. Or maybe Alfred had made a joke about everyone taking the elevator just to get off on the second floor before he introduced himself. Arthur didn't exactly remember the order that these things were said, he just remembered being charmed by the alpha. There was something about Alfred that made Arthur's heart flutter.

"Arthur," the omega had said back.

"Nice to meet you," Alfred had said before reaching out to shake the omega's hand. Arthur had taken the alpha's hand and blushed from the firm grip he had. "I'm sort of new here."

Arthur knew this already of course. There was no way Arthur worked in that building for five years without noticing Alfred, not with a powerful scent like that. So Alfred had to be new. But Arthur said nothing in response to this.

The elevator doors opened on Arthur's floor at that moment. "Maybe I'll see you around," Arthur had said as cooly as he could muster. He started to walk off without looking back.

"I really hope so," he had heard the alpha call out.

The two often ran into each other in the elevator after that day. They always talked to each other until Arthur reached his floor. It wasn't long before they were spending their lunches together at the cafeteria that was located on the first floor. Although this was more because of Alfred's insistence than Arthur's interest, Arthur grew to enjoy spending his lunch breaks with Alfred. 

Arthur wasn't entirely sure what the alpha's job was, but he assumed that Alfred got paid really well by the car he drove. There were a few times when Alfred offered to drive Arthur home since the omega only took public transport. Arthur denied the offers for a while but started accepting the rides on days he was particularly tired.

It was nice spending time in the car with Alfred, and not just because it had temperature controlled seats. Arthur enjoyed the extra time they had to talk, and he enjoyed being engulfed in the alpha's scent. Soon he felt comfortable accepting more rides from the alpha, and it became difficult for him to pass up a ride in a BMW for a ride on a crowded bus full of germ-infested strangers. So Arthur started to let Alfred take him home every night. Alfred had to pass by Arthur's neighborhood anyway to get to his own, so the alpha wasn't going out of his way. 

He hadn't had a chance to see the alpha during lunch for the last few weeks. His job had gotten really hectic so he needed to work during his breaks and stay late to work overtime. The last time Arthur saw the alpha was last month at a New Year's Eve party their building hosted. All the floors got together to make one grand party, and it was actually pretty fun. Or maybe it was all the eggnog that made it bearable. 

Alfred was the one who took Arthur home that night since Arthur had gotten a little tipsy. 

There was no doubt that the alpha was the closest friend that Arthur had.

Compelled by the desire to see Alfred, Arthur carefully set down the teacup and picked up his phone. He hesitated for a moment before he started typing. 

_**Care to come by for a cuppa? And maybe a bite to eat?**_

Arthur sent the text to Alfred. Several minutes passed by before Arthur's phone buzzed.

_**When do you want me to come?**_

Arthur blushed at the wording. Everything sounded sexual when he was in heat.

_**3 pm?**_

Alfred replied right away.

_**Awesome! I'll see you soon :)**_

Arthur rolled his eyes but couldn't keep himself from smiling. Alfred was a cute alpha. That much he could admit.

Knowing that an alpha was coming over compelled Arthur to reorganize his nest, again. Once everything felt perfect once more he decided to change into something nicer. He took off his comfortable slacks and put them in his dresser drawer. Arthur hadn't been wearing underwear previously since the compression over his cock during his heat only added to his arousal. 

However, not wearing underwear was not an option while he had company over. He opened the top drawer to take out a lacy red cheeky panty just in case something happened with the alpha. After putting it on, he spent a few minutes deciding if he should wear shorts or pants. Deciding it best to wear shorts, Arthur put on a pair of short black shorts. It didn't take him long to choose a shirt since he already had an idea of what he wanted to wear. He wore a faded red shirt that hung off his shoulders and revealed most of his back. 

After he got dressed, Arthur went into the kitchen. He wasn't exactly the best cook, so he stuck to simple recipes and hoped he wouldn't mess anything up. Arthur cut thin slices of cucumber and placed them on buttered slices of bread, then he grilled a few tomatoes. The last thing he made was scrambled eggs. 

His dining area was right outside the kitchen. There was a relatively long wooden table pushed against the wall with a mismatched chair on either side. Arthur set the table with silverware, teacups, and plates of food. He then made a kettle of tea with loose leaves from one of his tea canisters. This canister was low on leaves, so it was empty after Arthur finished making the tea. He set the empty canister on the kitchen counter and brought the tea kettle to the center of the table.

By the time Arthur was done preparing everything, it was already well into the afternoon. It wasn't too long before Alfred was knocking at the door. 

Arthur smiled when he opened the door and saw the alpha. 

Alfred was standing there wearing a charcoal black peacoat, dark denim jeans, and black timberland boots. A reusable cloth bag with a giant American flag printed on it was resting on his arm. Arthur had given the bag to Alfred for New Year's and insisted that the alpha's New Year resolution should be to stop using plastic bags. Arthur was happy to see Alfred using the bag.

"Ello," Arthur greeted, blushing a bit because he couldn't keep himself from staring at Alfred's groin. 

"Hey, Artie," Alfred greeted back as he pulled the omega into a hug. The second they embraced Alfred could smell that Arthur was in heat and it drove his senses wild. It took all of Alfred's self-control to keep himself from pushing the omega up against the wall and ravishing him. 

They lingered in each other's embrace longer than two friends should. Being in the alpha's powerful arms and engulfed in his scent was dizzying and enrapturing. Arthur's hands clutched onto Alfred as if he would faint without his support. At that moment Arthur felt like he could and would say yes to anything the alpha asked him to do. 

Feeling Arthur cling onto him made Alfred incredibly tempted to give in to his urges. Alfred initially thought that the omega just invited him over for tea, but it was clear now that it was more than just that. Omegas virtually never invited anyone over during their heat unless they wanted someone as a mate. The idea of having Arthur as a mate excited Alfred more than anything, but the alpha didn't want them to move too fast.

So Alfred cleared his throat in an attempt to snap himself out of the moment. 

"Happy Valentine's Day," Alfred said in a low husky voice that made a shiver run down Arthur's spine. Alfred forced himself to step away from the omega and cleared his throat again. 

Arthur didn't say anything back right away. He missed the feeling of Alfred's warm strong body against him.

"Right... I forgot it was Valentine's Day," Arthur lied, not wanting to make a big deal out of the holiday. He wasn't a big fan of Valentine's Day.

"Oh," Alfred said just above a whisper, sounding a bit resigned. 

Arthur noticed the change in Alfred's voice but decided to ignore it. "Right-o then, the tea is over here," Arthur said. 

As they walked, Alfred couldn't help but stare at Arthur's exposed back. There was something really sexy about tops that revealed an omega's delicate back in such a way. It made Alfred want to grab the omega from behind and kiss and lick him until he tasted every inch of Arthur's back.

The alpha exhaled deeply and forced himself to look away. The moment he looked down, Arthur's thighs caught his attention. Alfred instantly had a thought of having those legs wrapped around his face as he had his face buried against Arthur's crotch. Alfred quickly wiped his face with his hand as if it would wipe the thought from his mind. That's when Alfred remembered the bag he had been carrying.

"I brought something to go with the tea," Alfred said as they were walking toward the dining table. "And... I, uh, I have a small Valentine's Day gift for you." He now felt a little silly for getting Arthur a gift since the omega didn't know it was Valentine's Day. Alfred was just thankful that he didn't get him a big gift. 

Arthur turned around and saw Alfred taking out two boxes from his reusable bag. One was a box of scones, the other was a box of expensive Belgium chocolates with a fancy gold ribbon tied around it. "Thanks, Al. These are great! And this is such a fancy ribbon. Did it come with the box?"

"No, I bought it," Alfred said nervously. Then he added, "To, um, to keep the box closed. I didn't want anything to fall out on my drive here." 

That wasn't the truth, of course, since the box was sealed shut. Alfred bought the ribbon to make the gift look nicer, and Arthur suspected as much. The omega toyed with the ribbon between his finger and thumb for a moment before carefully taking it off.

"Let me put these on a plate," Arthur offered. "Why don't you take a seat and help yourself."

Arthur went into the kitchen and put the ribbon into the empty tea canister on the counter, then placed it inside the top cabinet with the other canisters. He placed the box of chocolates in a different cabinet. Grabbing a plate, he neatly stacked the scones on it before he returned to the dining room.

Alfred was in the middle of taking off his coat when Arthur walked in. The alpha's muscles flexed and bulged as he pulled it off to reveal a tight white shirt that hugged his chest. Arthur couldn't stop himself from staring. It was only when Alfred sat down that Arthur continued to walk toward the table. He took a seat across the alpha and grabbed the kettle.

"Tea?" Arthur asked.

The alpha reached for a cup, then paused. His face lit up with excitement when he realized the teacup was from the set he had given to Arthur, and it was honestly too adorable for Arthur to bare. Arthur always enjoyed when the alpha was happy. 

"Yes, please," Alfred replied as he held the cup up. He watched as Arthur poured tea into their cups and couldn't help but gaze at the omega. 

He knew Arthur for a long time. They met in an elevator almost a year ago, just a few weeks after his birthday. Alfred's birthday wish was to meet the omega of his dreams, and Arthur seemed to be his wish come true. 

Alfred liked him from the start. From the first handshake they shared, Alfred suspected that the omega might have been the one. Part of him felt the feeling was mutual because, although he wasn't entirely sure, he thought the omega had a light scent of arousal emitting from him after they shook hands. Arthur was a beautiful man - handsome yet delicate. As Alfred spent more time with Arthur his feelings for him deepened until one day he realized he was in love. 

Truly there couldn't be a better potential mate for him than Arthur. Alfred liked how Arthur was always carrying a new romance book with him. He enjoyed the conversations they had when they met for lunch, it felt like they could talk about anything. He loved everything about Arthur.

Absorbed in his thoughts, Alfred didn't immediately notice when Arthur placed the cup of tea in front of him. Alfred traced his finger over the patterns on the side of the cup. 

He adjusted his glasses before asking, "So, you like the teacups? I wasn't sure if it was the right gift or not, but you said you drink tea all the time and -"

"I really like the set, Al," Arthur reassured the alpha with a smile. "Thank you for giving it to me." Arthur's face flushed from his choice of words. It was becoming ridiculous how everything seemed to have a sexual undertone. But he really wouldn't mind having Alfred give it to him.

Alfred noticed how flustered Arthur seemed, but refocused his attention on the food. "This all looks really good."

"Thank you," Arthur said, trying not to smile too hard. 

Alfred tried everything on his plate.

"This is all so good," the alpha exclaimed. He finished his sliced bread with cucumber and grabbed another slice. 

Arthur took a sip of tea and the cup effectively hid his blush. 

Alfred drank some of his tea too. Although he had a lot of tea bags at home, he didn't drink tea often since he preferred coffee. This tea tasted better than any tea he ever had though. "What kind of tea is this?"

"Black, of course, with a spot of milk." 

The American finished his tea and took another scone. "I really like your place, Artie. Everything is so nice and organized." 

Arthur chuckled. "That's because I'm a cleaning maniac during my heat."

"You're in heat?" Alfred asked as if he didn't already know. Knowing for sure was arousing though, and now Alfred couldn't help but focus on Arthur's scent again.

"Yep," Arthur answered. "Is that a problem?"

"What? No, of course not!" Alfred exclaimed, baffled by the question. He hoped he didn't do anything to ruin any chances he had with the omega.

Nervous, Alfred took in a slow and deep breath to steady himself. All he could smell was Arthur's scent which made it impossible for him to focus. He grabbed his second cup of tea and tried to focus on its smell instead of Arthur's intoxicating scent.

"Can I ask you a question?" Alfred asked after sipping the tea.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at this.

"Do you believe in 'the one'?" Alfred continued before taking another sip of tea.

"I don't believe in soulmates," Arthur replied briskly. 

It wasn't the answer Alfred had expected, but he wasn't deterred. This was his chance to tell Arthur how he felt about him.

"Soulmates are kinda different," Alfred stated. "I meant do you think everyone has a special someone out there for them? One person who is the perfect fit for you. Your other half who completes you and who loves you as much as you love them?"

"I don't believe in love," Arthur answered flatly. His answers may have sounded rude, but this wasn't his favorite topic to discuss. He had very strong unpopular opinions about love that always made people upset. The mood would certainly be ruined if they continued talking about this, so Arthur asked, "Can we talk about something else?"

Alfred stared at him incredulously. 

He couldn't drop the subject even if he wanted to. The hot burning sting of rejection wouldn't let him. Alfred only brought this topic up so he could ease into telling Arthur that he loved him. To hear that Arthur didn't even believe in love was inconceivable.

"No... there's no way you believe that," Alfred responded. 

"Don't tell me what I believe," Arthur snapped defensively. "Love is just a bunch of rubbish. It's not real."

"How can you say that?" Alfred asked, his voice sounding a bit distraught. 

"Well, it's the truth now innit? The thing people call love is nothing more than hormones. Omegas go into heat, alphas have the urge to stake their claim, and then people invent reasons to stay together and call it love," Arthur said very matter-of-factly.

Alfred ran his hand over his hair in frustration. "So you don't think it's possible to like anyone?" 

"I didn't say that. Being in love with someone isn't the same as liking them," Arthur quickly corrected. "It takes at least a couple of years to really know someone. By then people have fallen in love with the idea of who they think their mate is rather than who they actually are."

"What if they've known each other for years before they mate?" Alfred countered.

Arthur let out a small snort. "Sure, but that never happens. No one waits longer than a few weeks or months to shag. And even if they wait to have sex, snoggin' ain't much better. Either way, they're just being controlled by their hormones."

Alfred crossed his arms over his chest. This conversation was not going the way he thought it would. All the omegas he knew believed in "the one". Many alphas believed it too, but it seemed like something every omega would believe.

"That's not fair," Alfred huffed. "Kissing or having sex doesn't make people incapable of being in love." 

"People say they're in love within months of knowing someone. How can this be love when they don't truly know the person?" Arthur asked.

"But -" Alfred started, but Arthur interrupted.

"Instead of getting to know each other, they're busy snoggin' and fuckin', or thinking about snoggin' and fuckin'. People think they're falling in love when in fact their hormones are driving them to stay mated to fulfill some primal sexual needs and desires."

"Okay, now that's definitely not true. If anything it's believed that hormones make people incapable of true monogamy," Alfred retorted. "So staying with one person actually proves that you love that person because you're going _against_ your hormones to stay mated to just one person." 

"That doesn't prove anything," Arthur snapped.

This was exactly why Arthur hated talking about love. No one ever respected his perspective enough to accept that this was what he believed. People always tried to force him to change his views on love and relationships, and they were always angry when they failed to do so.

"Being just friends doesn't stop you from having sexual urges," Alfred argued. "You'll still be attracted to each other, so what's the point in staying just friends?"

"Because you'll have a fighting chance to actually get to know each other," Arthur stated. "You get to learn how to be open and honest while you're just friends because you're not worrying whether something will lead to a breakup."

"But you get to know each other over time even if you are already in a relationship," Alfred responded. "Eventually you'll open up to each other."

Arthur exhaled in frustration. "It's like you aren't even listening." 

"I am listening," Alfred said in a raised voice. "You think the only way to ever be in love is by being friends first for a couple of years. I'm saying that I don't agree."

"You don't have to agree," Arthur snapped. "It's what I believe, and I happen to be right."

"So none of the billions of people around the world are in love?" Alfred shot back.

Arthur tapped his fingers against the table in frustration. He would usually drop the topic by now, but something inside Arthur wouldn't let him. Why couldn't Alfred just understand him?

"I mean, maybe a few are," Arthur said. "But most people don't want to wait to really know someone, so they focus on tiny superficial details they like and create an image of who they want the person to be. Their so-called love is based on illusions they created. That's why marrying someone out of love isn't very different from arranged marriages."

"Yeah, some people are like that, but not everyone," Alfred retorted.

"Almost everyone is like that," Arthur said hotly. 

Alfred just shook his head. "And you've met everyone in the world?"

"Obviously not, but I don't need to. I'm just going by the facts," Arthur said.

"What facts?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that roughly half of all marriages end in divorce," Arthur responded. "And the fact that the honeymoon phase in any relationship can last as long as two years."

"I've heard of that," Alfred said. He learned it in one of his college classes. The honeymoon phase usually lasted six to twelve months but could be as short as two minutes or as long as two years. "It usually doesn't last longer than a year though."

"But it can," Arthur retorted. "And once the honeymoon phase is over you start to see the person for who they truly are and usually you don't like that person. But by then you're already attached and probably in the habit of saying you love each other so you stay together, but none of it is real."

"There are people married after knowing each other for a few months and they stayed married for the rest of their lives," Alfred said.

"Marriage does not equate love. There are many unhappily married people who are just staying together out of some feeling of obligation," Arthur replied.

Alfred didn't understand how Arthur, the sweet omega who often read romance novels, could be so cynical about love. "Look, I'm just saying that it's too extreme to expect people to wait two years just to kiss each other. It's unrealistic." 

"Why?" Arthur asked. "What's the rush? Love is supposed to be forever, right? That's what all the romantics out there believe. So why is it so impossible to wait and give it time?"

"It doesn't take everyone two years to really know a person," Alfred answered. "Sure, maybe three months is too soon, but six months should be enough time. And if it's not, certainly a year would be long enough for most people."

Arthur didn't know why he wanted Alfred to understand him so badly. He had never spoken this long about this topic to anyone before. His hands were almost trembling now. It had been a long time since he felt this vulnerable and exposed around another person before. 

What could he possibly say to make Alfred understand how he felt about this?

"I thought I knew exactly who I was when I was eighteen," Arthur softly said, his voice lacking the force it had carried during most of the conversation. "By twenty-one, I was a completely different person. Now I'm twenty-five and I've become a completely different person again. Someone who claimed to love me when I was eighteen wouldn't be in love with me today."

"Or they might love you even more for the person you grew into," Alfred interjected. "I don't think people turn into completely different people. For better or worse, I think people grow and evolve more into who they really are. Sure some things change like your opinions, but the core of who you are is still the same."

Arthur was quiet for a moment as Alfred's words sunk in. "Listen... I'm not saying you're wrong. A lot of what you're saying makes sense, but it doesn't change what I believe. I just think it takes a couple of years to really know someone."

"Well... we've known each other for almost a year now..." Alfred said slowly, his usual confidence lacking from his voice. "Are you saying you don't know me? That I don't know you at all?"

"Not well enough to claim to be in love," Arthur answered, now feeling uncomfortable. 

Alfred's face fell. It was clear that the alpha took this conversation hard, but Arthur wasn't the one who brought up the topic. Alfred did. And Alfred was the one who refused to change the subject. 

Still, it was difficult to see the alpha so unhappy so Arthur added, "But I know you enough to know you're a good friend."

 _A good friend..._ The words pierced through Alfred like a knife. It was bad enough that Arthur didn't return his feelings, but knowing that Arthur wouldn't even believe that Alfred loved him hurt more than anything. 

Alfred huffed. "Why am I even here?" 

Arthur's thick eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

"For tea..." the Brit answered. 

"But you're in heat. Are you saying you really just invited me over for tea?"

The truth was that Arthur really didn't know why he invited Alfred. It was simply nice having the alpha's presence around, even if all they did was drink tea. He also would be fine with Alfred fucking him right now. Although his body preferred the latter, Arthur didn't have a strong preference on what he wanted to do with Alfred.

Arthur finished his tea and gently set the cup down. He looked at Alfred and observed him for a moment before asking, 

"Do you want to fuck me?"

**Author's Note:**

> Wow that was long! Hope you enjoyed it. There are three parts to this series. The next two stories will be a continuation of this. 
> 
> This series was inspired by several of 01blackcat02's fics, specifically _Subscription To Love_. You should definitely read that and the rest of 01blackcat02’s fics if you haven't already ≧◡≦


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